# Bart's New Vinotemp Project



## bartolomeo (Aug 14, 2009)

This is a thread I started on another site back in August b/c I didnt have enough postings here to post pictures yet. I have continued to update it as time went by so please enjoy 

Bart

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Just got a new Vinotemp delivered today from meijer.com. Seasoning the trays right now and will keep everybody updated with some pics as its happening, nothing too exciting so far.
BTW, I want to get this right and do it the proper way from the start so I am a little anal about doing things. For example, I have purchased 8 Hygrometers, all of the same brand to salt test them and see which 3 I will keep, just want to keep the three with the 75% RH levels. Too bad the success rate is not pretty good right now.
Seasoning with Distilled H2O, cedar under the bowls and 2.5lbs of beads currently. I had cardboard originally holding the H2O but it started to smell like cardboard and replaced with cedar. I have Spanish Cedar trays in there right now that will hold my singles until my drawers/trays get done.
Put a cork to plug up the drainage hole and have left off the power to the Vinotemp to start with. Once up to speed after seasoning, will turn on unit and go from there.
Thanks,
Bart


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## bartolomeo (Aug 14, 2009)

Update tonight on project, had to start over for different reasons and back to seasoning the Cedar trays using the new Ranco system, so far so good

Bart

Electricians Putty










Ranco Temperature Control










Second hole drilled through the bottom using the drain hole inside










Left overs after tearing drain out










New line of cigars I am starting, Vinotemp Robustos :lol:










Inside look, tried to keep it as clean looking as possible










Putty that sealed where the Ranco temperature cord came in through original drain hole


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## bartolomeo (Aug 14, 2009)

Maybe the 3rd time really is the charm......This is the 3rd time me messing with this Vinotemp.......Something was just not right so I decided to add an Oasis XL and a CPU fan to pimp this Vinotemp out.........I know its overkill but if I get my ideal RH levels, its worth every penny to me

Enjoy!

Bart

Me rigging the wires together for the CPU fan










Taped them together b/c I am not an Electrician 










Adaptor needed between fan and AC plug










Me trying out some LT cooling fans but they didnt blow enough air for my taste










3 different types of fans to see what works best, decided to go with the Red one










I put two rubber washers underneath the screws to dampen any noise and give the fan a little more clearance










The infamous "S" drain valve in the Vino










Tried to keep everything clean looking with some ties and new Electricians putty applied










I put velcro on the bottom of the fan so I can move it anytime but yet sturdy enough not to vibrate or make noise when running










Pic of the Oasis and fan










Bottom view of the set up










Starting the whole process over again










Threw some beads in to start the process but the rest of the beads are in the Tupperware with the smokes, resting until Vino is up and fully functional


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## bartolomeo (Aug 14, 2009)

Last picture for now, will post more soon after I throw the smokes in there


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## bartolomeo (Aug 14, 2009)

Update on Humidor:

Had the RH and Temp levels where I wanted them but had a issue with the condensation occuring, so I wanted to fix that issue and move forward. Here are some random pics and comments

-My goal is to have all of my crap on the floor to be below the second notch up, so I can put my shelves in when they are ready, so basically nothing above that height is my plan, so far so good

-I have about 3.5 lbs of beads in the humi spread out in bags, Overkill I know, but it will keep the RH more stable when opening/closing the humi

-I have 4 different brands of Hygrometers but all are accurate so I cant complain










I use to get that fine dust from the beads so I came up with a solution that works for me. I take the beads and put them in a strainer to shake out the excess small particles which helps reduce the fine dust you some time see in your humidor. You lose about 1-2% but not a big deal when you have no more dust









Pic of the leftovers in the sink









Some humidity sheets I got from Heartfelt, I was originally going to use it to suck the excess condensation but dont like that idea now b/c of possible mildew/mold problems down the road









Bought a thin, rubber cutting board @ Walmart to shape a funnel to drain the excess condensation down the middle of the exisitng channel, used Black duct tape to help. Its important when you do this, to keep the original ridges along the side of the channel so the condensation doesnt spill on either side. The White cutting board was an exact shape of the channel to help out.









Bought a butter dish to collect the condensation as an experiement. I dried my 65% beads completely White so they could suck up all of the moisture. The cutting board drains into the butter dish, I use a stick or a pen to move the beads around once in a while to make sure all moisture in the dish is equal. I then moved my fan to blow on the channel and bead dish to help dry it out, this has helped immensely. I like this dish b/c its clear and I can see whats going on, I have a bigger one but its White.









Fan on top of beads blowing down on bead dish, I need to rework this to clean it up a little bit


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## bartolomeo (Aug 14, 2009)

Cutting board I used b/c I couldnt find any of the binder page dividers others here use









Dymo Letra Label maker I use to band all of my singles along with the Heartfelt bands









Waiting for their new mansion to be ready 


















Beads before I put the fan on them


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## eljimmy (Jun 27, 2009)

Jesus christ man! You are anal  You're gonna be happy when you're done. Nice job


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## bartolomeo (Aug 14, 2009)

Here is an update on my humi:

-My Vino ideal range is 62-65%RH and 65-67* Temp, currently I am achieving this since 95% of my smokes are CC and I have found they like a lower RH than the NC

-I have a fan blowing up @ the front glass of the Vino and a fan on the top shelf blowing towards the front glass for great airflow, I have found the added airflow benefits my Vino rather than just using the original fan the Vino came with

-I have farted around with this Vino the last couple of weeks and definitely overanalyzed everything :lol: but got it where I want/need it for my evergrowing stash

-I put a board in front of the Vino fan to help spread the air out a little more and really like this idea, this will allow me to put boxes directly in front/top/bottom of the fan and not have to worry about it. There is enough room between the board and fan as well. The middle section of the fan sucks air in where the four sides blow the cool air out, learned that as well. Also with the board, I am able to push the Vino metal shelf all of the way back, so I am not eliminating any room using the board

-I took the Heartfelt beads out of my condensation tray b/c it would be non distilled water accumulating in there and making a mess, this way I just dump it every couple of days/weeks depending on how much is in there

-The fans and Vino are plugged into an surge protector, which is plugged into the Ranco temp controller, so all three run at the same time and no need for a timer for the two fans

-I am waiting on shelves/drawers so will use boxes and cedar trays for now

-I replaced my Oasis sponge with water beads, see this thread

http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...rbant-polymers-watersorb-com-cigar-oasis.html

-I will post pics of the smokes very soon

-I tried the following scenarios with no luck......unplugged w/ no fan, unplugged w/ fan, plugged w/ no fan, plugged w/ fan.........This is located in my office on the second floor in my NC home, it does get hot here but the room temp avg is about 73* during day and 71* at night in the Summer

-I left the hole at the bottom of the Vino open, to let the Vino "breathe" if you will

-It looks messy right now but it will be cleaned up when the shelves/drawers get here

-Again, I overanalyzed everything but it works correctly and thats what was most important to me

Thanks,

Bart


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## mrreindeer (Sep 4, 2008)

Holy sh!t....when you're done...you want to start over on my two???

Awesome stuff.


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

This thread made me dizzy.


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## dj1340 (Mar 30, 2009)

I commend you on the vinotemp proj. Think I'll stay with my 150qt coolodor from Wally world, much simpler for me


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## Rubix^3 (Nov 10, 2008)

Where is the flux capacitor?

haha,

Super nice work. --taking the hobby to a whole nother level.


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## Brodeurman69 (Aug 28, 2006)

Great looking work. You have definitely inspired me and gave me some great ideas!


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## yzingerr (Sep 4, 2009)

very cool stuff. So when are you handing out those vinotemps? :wave:


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## bartolomeo (Aug 14, 2009)

These are some pics from a "friend" and some cigars he has in his Vino......

Bart


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## domerthefrog (Sep 2, 2009)

So how much to build me one?


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## bartolomeo (Aug 14, 2009)

domerthefrog said:


> So how much to build me one?


C'mon now, you have seen the step by step directions from the start on this thread, learn from my mistakes/testing and go for it I say 

Keep us posted if you do

So far I am getting 65* and 62-66%RH.......perfect for my stash

Bart


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## domerthefrog (Sep 2, 2009)

bartolomeo said:


> C'mon now, you have seen the step by step directions from the start on this thread, learn from my mistakes/testing and go for it I say
> 
> Keep us posted if you do
> 
> ...


Yea, i was just messing with you, Ive got like a 400ct right now and a couple 50 cts.
My next plan of action was the Vinotemp, and i actually saved your thread on my computer incase the pictures stop being hosted or whatnot. I love the way you did everything, and when i get the time i will probably begin. I will be sure to make an update thread, and will also probably be messaging you with questions! Thanks for the contribution to the site!


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## burnsco (Mar 26, 2009)

those smokes look soooooooo good.

nice vino too.


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## ToJo (Jun 24, 2009)

Looks awesome. The only upgrade I can think of is removal of the metal shelves and putting in full width cedar shelves.

Oh, and maybe some tinting on the door glass.

And...possibly...some LED tube lighting along the sides. Maybe even programmable. Disco style.


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## bartolomeo (Aug 14, 2009)

Well, its been a long journey but here are some pics of my Vino with new Chasden shelves and drawers along with my new cigars. There is a glass top to these cedar lined drawers that maintains the temp and RH nicely and prevents sudden spikes when opening and closing the Vinotemp.

I bought 3 single and 2 double drawers with extra dividers. I like them b/c I dont have a lot of room in the Vino for my smokes.

I use about 3 lbs of 65% beads spread around and have two CPU fans running.........overkill, yes, but my results are perfect so I am content

My Vino is between 62-64* and 61-65%RH every day year round here in NC, I finally have it where I want it after farting around with it for weeks :lol:

Enjoy!

Bart


















Singles Drawer with HDM, Monte and Boli


























Singles drawer with Partagas, Punch and Dip #4


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## bartolomeo (Aug 14, 2009)

Doubles drawer with Punch, Partagas and Dip .........I re-arranged some cigars between drawers


























Double drawer with various CC


























Single drawer with random Coronas, PC and Robustos waiting to be tested


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## thebayratt (Jun 4, 2009)

Nice stash!! Very well organized. I can't wait till mine looks like that. 
Good job!!


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## Nitrosportman (Oct 26, 2009)

nice i envy you any links on where you got the drawers???


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## arodgers (Sep 10, 2009)

Nitrosportman said:


> nice i envy you any links on where you got the drawers???


Chasden makes them and sells them from his website, Home of the Chasidor . I emailed him and never got a reply. Seems he stays pretty busy. I like the look of the drawers, but I don't think they would fit in my cooler unfortunately.


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## coopesc2000 (Jun 6, 2007)

Why do you plug the drain whole?? I have one and can't figure out how to get rid of the excess condensation that keeps building up on the back. You seem pretty knowledgeble thats why I'm asking.


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## bartolomeo (Aug 14, 2009)

coopesc2000 said:


> Why do you plug the drain whole?? I have one and can't figure out how to get rid of the excess condensation that keeps building up on the back. You seem pretty knowledgeble thats why I'm asking.


If you look at my pics, I drilled the original hole out to run wires in the Vino that way for a cleaner look, but then plugged that and drilled a second hole on the back right for the wires. The second hole in the back is not plugged and have not noticed any fluctuations from leaving it open.

I do have condensation and collect it in a little pan that I empty every 2-3 weeks

What you will learn is everybody's conditions vary from state to state and no two people have the same results with their Vino

I like dumping the excess condensation rather than let it drain on my beads, but again, thats just my two cents

Thanks,

Bart


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## coopesc2000 (Jun 6, 2007)

bartolomeo said:


> If you look at my pics, I drilled the original hole out to run wires in the Vino that way for a cleaner look, but then plugged that and drilled a second hole on the back right for the wires. The second hole in the back is not plugged and have not noticed any fluctuations from leaving it open.
> 
> I do have condensation and collect it in a little pan that I empty every 2-3 weeks
> 
> ...


Thanks for the reply. I let the condensation drain onto my beads, they never need to be recharged. Just didn't know if there was a way to get around it. Any ways your set up looks great I need a bigger one then then the one I have. I think its just an excuse to buy more boxes


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## smokin nightly (Sep 9, 2009)

That is one of the nicest setups I have seen...very nice smokes! I am awestruck.


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